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reportNanomaterials and Composites
10.1.6 Current situation within the EU

The commitment of Europe in the sector, is represented by the involvement in the field of giant  chemical industries like BASF and Bayer and by specialized enterprises such as, for example, Centexbel and Nanocyl in Belgium, Nanogate and Sympatex in Germany, Schoeller Textiles in Switzerland. In general terms, it can be said that presently Germany is at fore front, followed by United Kingdom, France, Switzerland (not necessarily in that order) and then Italy and the Czech Republic. When we compare the positioning of Europe in the world scene, however, it turns out the Europe is lagging behind and this situation, if not properly tackled, could severely hamper the competitive position of the European players. Considering, for example, patents application in some important sectors related to "nanotextiles", it is found, as shown below, that USA and Japan are usually at the front, but also that country such as South Korea and China are coming up strongly. In particular, in the case of nanoparticles China is now leading:

  • Nanofibres: USA (42.12%); Japan ( 24.7% ); South Korea (7.9%); Germany (6.3%).
  • Nanoparticles: China (46.3%); USA (20.1%); Japan (16.4%); Germany (8.8%)
  • Carbon nanotubes: USA (49.9%); Japan (34.2%); South Korea (2.9%); China (2.5%); France (2.1%).

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